Complete Works of Euripides

by Euripides

  Leader Well, can I too lay hold of the blinding brand, as though the god’s libation had been poured? for I would fain have a share in this offering of blood.

  Odysseus Indeed thou must, for the brand is large, and thou must help hold it.

  Leader How lightly would I lift the load of e’en a hundred wains, if that will help us to grub out the eye of the doomed Cyclops, like a wasp’s nest.

  Odysseus Hush! for now thou knowest my plot in full, and when I bid you, obey the author of it; for I am not the man to desert my friends inside the cave and save myself alone. And yet I might escape; I am clear of the cavern’s depths already; but no! to desert the friends with whom I journeyed hither and only save myself is not a righteous course.

  (He re-enters the cave.)

  First semi-chorus (singing) Come, who will be the first and who the next to him upon the list to grip the handle of the brand, and, thrusting it into the Cyclops’ eye, gouge out the light thereof?

  Second semi-chorus (singing) Hush! hush! Behold the drunkard leaves his rocky home, trolling loud some hideous lay, a clumsy tuneless clown, whom tears await. Come, let us give this boor a lesson in revelry. Ere long will he be blind at any rate.

  First semi-chorus (singing) Happy he who plays the Bacchanal amid the precious streams distilled from grapes, stretched at full length for a revel, his arm around the friend he loves, and some fair dainty damsel on his couch, his hair perfumed with nard and glossy, the while he calls, “Oh! who will ope the door for me?”

  (The CYCLOPS enters. He is obviously drunk.)

  Cyclops (singing) Ha! ha! full of wine and merry with a feast’s good cheer am I, my hold freighted like a merchant-ship up to my belly’s very top. This turf graciously invites me to seek my brother Cyclopes for revel in the spring-tide. Come, stranger, bring the wine-skin hither and hand it over to me.

  Second semi-chorus (singing) Forth from the house its fair lord comes, casting his fair glance round him. We have someone to befriend us. A hostile brand is awaiting thee, no tender bride in dewy grot. No single colour will those garlands have, that soon shall cling so close about thy brow.

  Odysseus (returning with the wine-skin. He is followed by SILENUS, who is also drunk.)

  Hearken, Cyclops; for I am well versed in the ways of Bacchus, whom I have given thee to drink.

  Cyclops And who is Bacchus? some reputed god?

  Odysseus The greatest god men know to cheer their life.

  Cyclops I like his after-taste at any rate.

  Odysseus This is the kind of god he is; he harmeth no man.

  Cyclops But how does a god like being housed in a wine-skin?

  Odysseus Put him where one may, he is content there.

  Cyclops It is not right that gods should be clad in leather.

  Odysseus What of that, provided he please thee? does the leather hurt thee?

  Cyclops I hate the wine-skin, but the liquor we have here I love.

  Odysseus Stay, then, Cyclops; drink and be merry.

  Cyclops Must I not give my brethren a share in this liquor?

  Odysseus No, keep it thyself and thou wilt appear of more honour.

  Cyclops Give it my friends and I shall appear of more use.

  Odysseus Revelling is apt to end in blows, abuse, and strife.

  Cyclops I may be drunk, but no man will lay hands on me for all that.

  Odysseus Better stay at home, my friend, after a carouse.

  Cyclops Who loves not revelling then is but a simpleton.

  Odysseus But whoso stays at home, when drunk, is wise.

  Cyclops What shall we do, Silenus? art minded to stay?

  Silenus That I am; for what need have we of others to share our drink, Cyclops?

  Cyclops Well, truly the turf is soft as down with its fresh flowering plants.

  Silenus (seating himself) Aye, and ’tis pleasant drinking in the warm sunshine. Come, let me see thee stretch thy carcase on the ground.

  Cyclops (sitting down) There then Why art thou putting the mixing-bowl behind me?

  Silenus That no one passing by may upset it.

  Cyclops Nay, but thy purpose is to drink upon the sly; set it between us. (To ODYSSEUS) Now tell me, stranger, by what name to call thee.

  (SILENUS is drinking steadily and stealthily.)

  Odysseus Noman. What boon shall I receive of thee to earn my thanks?

  Cyclops I will feast on thee last, after all thy comrades.

  Odysseus Fair indeed the honour thou bestowest on thy guest, sir Cyclops!

  Cyclops (turning suddenly to SILENUS) Ho, sirrah! what art thou about? taking a stealthy pull at the wine?

  Silenus No, but it kissed me for my good looks.

  Cyclops Thou shalt smart, if thou kiss the wine when it kisses not thee.

  Silenus Oh! but it did, for it says it is in love with my handsome face.

  Cyclops (holding out his cup) Pour in; only give me my cup full.

  Silenus H’m! how is it mixed? just let me make sure.

  (Takes another pull.)

  Cyclops Perdition! give it me at once.

  Silenus Oh, no! I really cannot, till I see thee with a crown on, and have another taste myself.

  Cyclops My cup-bearer is a cheat.

  Silenus No really, but the wine is so luscious. Thou must wipe thy lips, though, to get a draught.

  Cyclops There! my lips and beard are clean now.

  Silenus Bend thine elbow gracefully, and then quaff thy cup, as thou seest me do, and as now thou seest me not. (Burying his face in his cup)

  Cyclops Aha! what next?

  Silenus I drunk it off at a draught with much pleasure.

  Cyclops Stranger, take the skin thyself and be my cup-bearer.

  Odysseus Well, at any rate the grape is no stranger to my hand.

  Cyclops Come, pour it in.

  Odysseus In it goes! keep silence, that is all.

  Cyclops A difficult task when a man is deep in his cups.

  Odysseus Here, take and drink it off; leave none. Thou must be silent and only give in when the liquor does.

  Cyclops God wot! it is a clever stock that bears the grape.

  Odysseus Aye, and if thou but swallow plenty of it after a plentiful meal, moistening thy belly till its thirst is gone, it will throw thee into slumber; but if thou leave aught behind, the Bacchic god will parch thee for it.

  Cyclops Ha! ha! what a trouble it was getting out! This is pleasure unalloyed; earth and sky seem whirling round together; I see the throne of Zeus and all the godhead’s majesty. Kiss thee! no! There are the Graces trying to tempt me. I shall rest well enough with my Ganymede here; yea, by the Graces, right fairly; for I like lads better than the wenches.

  Silenus What! Cyclops, am I Ganymede, Zeus’s minion?

  Cyclops (attempting to carry him into the cave) To be sure, Ganymede whom I am carrying off from the halls of Dardanus.

  Silenus I am undone, my children; outrageous treatment waits me.

  Leader of the chorus Dost find fault with thy lover? dost scorn him in his cups?

  Silenus Woe is me! most bitter shall I find the wine ere long. (SILENUS is dragged into the cave by the CYCLOPS.)

  Odysseus Up now, children of Dionysus, sons of a noble sire, soon will yon creature in the cave, relaxed in slumber as ye see him, spew from his shameless maw the meat. Already the brand inside his lair is vomiting cloud of smoke; and the only reason we prepared it was to burn the Cyclops’ eye; so mind thou quit thee like a man.

  Leader I will have a spirit as of rock or adamant; but go inside, before my father suffers any shameful treatment; for here thou hast things ready.

  Odysseus O Hephaestus, lord of Aetna, rid thyself for once and all of a troublesome neighbour by burning his bright eye out. Come, Sleep, as well, offspring of sable Night, come with all thy power on the monster god-detested; and never after Troy’s most glorious toils destroy Odysseus and his crew by the hands of one who recketh naught of God or man; else must we reckon Chance a god
dess, and Heaven’s will inferior to hers.

  (ODYSSEUS re-enters the cave.)

  Chorus (singing) Tightly the pincers shall grip the neck of him who feasts upon his guests; for soon will he lose the light of his eye by fire; already the brand, a tree’s huge limb, lurks amid the embers charred. Oh! come ye then and work his doom, pluck out the maddened Cyclops’ eye, that he may rue his drinking. And I too fain would leave the Cyclops’ lonely land and see king Bromius, ivy-crowned, the god I sorely miss. Ah! shall I ever come to that?

  Odysseus (leaving the cave cautiously) Silence, ye cattle! I adjure you; close your lips; make not a sound! I’ll not let a man of you so much as breathe or wink or clear his throat, that yon pest awake not, until the sight in the Cyclops’ eye has passed through the fiery ordeal.

  Leader of the chorus Silent we stand with bated breath.

  Odysseus In then, and mind your fingers grip the brand, for it is splendidly red-hot.

  Leader Thyself ordain who first must seize the blazing bar and burn the Cyclops’ eye out, that we may share alike whate’er betides.

  First semi-chorus Standing where I am before the door, I am too far off to thrust the fire into his eye.

  Second semi-chorus I have just gone lame.

  First semi-chorus Why, then, thou art in the same plight as I; for somehow or other I sprained my ankle, standing still.

  Odysseus Sprained thy ankle, standing still?

  Second semi-chorus Yes, and my eyes are full of dust or ashes from somewhere or other.

  Odysseus These are sorry fellows, worthless as allies.

  Leader Because I feel for my back and spine, and express no wish to have my teeth knocked out, I am a coward, am I? Well, but I know a spell of Orpheus, a most excellent one, to make the brand enter his skull of its own accord, and set alight the one-eyed son of Earth.

  Odysseus Long since I knew thou wert by nature such an one, and now I know it better; I must employ my own friends; but, though thou bring no active aid, cheer us on at any rate, that I may find my friends emboldened by thy encouragement.

  (ODYSSEUS goes back into the cave.)

  Leader That will I do; the Carian shall run the risk for us; and as far as encouragement goes, let the Cyclops smoulder.

  Chorus (singing) What ho! my gallants, thrust away, make haste and burn his eyebrow off, the monster’s guest-devouring. Oh! singe and scorch the shepherd of Aetna; twirl the brand and drag it round and be careful lest in his agony he treat thee to some wantonness.

  Cyclops (bellowing in the cave) Oh! oh! my once bright eye is burnt to cinders now.

  Leader of the chorus Sweet indeed the triumph-song; pray sing it to us, Cyclops.

  Cyclops (from within) Oh! oh! once more; what outrage on me and what ruin! But never shall ye escape this rocky cave unpunished, ye worthless creatures; for I will stand in the entrance of the cleft and fit my hands into it thus.

  (Staggering to the entrance)

  Leader Why dost thou cry out, Cyclops?

  Cyclops I am undone.

  Leader Thou art indeed a sorry sight.

  Cyclops Aye, and a sad one, too.

  Leader Didst fall among the coals in a drunken fit?

  Cyclops Noman has undone me.

  Leader Then there is no one hurting thee after all.

  Cyclops Noman is blinding me.

  Leader Then thou art not blind.

  Cyclops As blind as thou, forsooth.

  Leader How, pray, could no man have made thee blind?

  Cyclops Thou mockest me; but where is this Noman?

  Leader Nowhere, Cyclops.

  Cyclops It was the stranger, vile wretch! who proved my ruin, that thou mayst understand rightly, by swilling me with the liquor he gave me.

  Leader Ah! wine is a terrible foe, hard to wrestle with.

  Cyclops Tell me, I adjure thee, have they escaped or are they still within?

  (During the following lines, ODYSSEUS and his men slip by the CYCLOPS, despite his efforts to stop them.)

  Leader Here they are ranged in silence, taking the rock to screen them.

  Cyclops On which side?

  Leader On thy right.

  Cyclops Where?

  Leader Close against the rock. Hast caught them?

  Cyclops Trouble on trouble! I have run my skull against the rock and cracked it.

  Leader Aye, and they are escaping thee.

  Cyclops This way, was it not? ’Twas this way thou saidst.

  Leader No, not this way.

  Cyclops Which then?

  Leader They are getting around thee on the left.

  Cyclops Alas! I am being mocked; ye jeer me in my evil plight.

  Leader They are no longer there; but facing thee that stranger stands.

  Cyclops Master of villainy, where, oh! where art thou?

  Odysseus Some way from thee I am keeping careful guard over the person of Odysseus.

  Cyclops What, a new name? hast changed thine?

  Odysseus Yes, Odysseus, the name my father gave me. But thou wert doomed to pay for thy unholy feast; for I should have seen Troy burned to but sorry purpose, unless I had avenged on thee the slaughter of my comrades.

  Cyclops Woe is me! ’tis an old oracle coming true; yes, it said I should have my eye put out by thee on thy way home from Troy; but it likewise foretold that thou wouldst surely pay for this, tossing on the sea for many a day.

  Odysseus Go hang! E’en as I say, so have I done. And now will I get me to the beach and start my hollow ship across the sea of Sicily to the land of my fathers.

  Cyclops Thou shalt not; I will break a boulder off this rock and crush thee, crew and all, beneath my throw. Blind though I be, I will climb the hill, mounting through yonder tunnel.

  Leader As for us, henceforth will we be the servants of Bacchus, sharing the voyage of this hero Odysseus.

  The Greek Texts

  The Theatre of Dionysus in Athens, where Euripides’ plays were first performed

  A modern reconstruction of how the theatre may have appeared in Euripides’ time

  LIST OF GREEK TEXTS

  In this section of the eBook, readers can view the original Greek texts of Euripides’ works. You may wish to Bookmark this page for future reference.

  CONTENTS

  ALCESTIS

  MEDEA

  HERACLEIDAE

  HIPPOLYTUS

  ANDROMACHE

  HECUBA

  THE SUPPLIANTS

  ELECTRA

  HERACLES

  THE TROJAN WOMEN

  IPHIGENIA IN TAURIS

  ION

  HELEN

  PHOENICIAN WOMEN

  ORESTES

  BACCHAE

  IPHIGENIA AT AULIS

  RHESUS

  CYCLOPS

  ALCESTIS

  ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

  Ὦ δώματ΄ Ἀδμήτει΄͵ ἐν οἷς ἔτλην ἐγὼ

  θῆσσαν τράπεζαν αἰνέσαι θεός περ ὤν.

  Ζεὺς γὰρ κατακτὰς παῖδα τὸν ἐμὸν αἴτιος

  Ἀσκληπιόν͵ στέρνοισιν ἐμβαλὼν φλόγα·

  οὗ δὴ χολωθεὶς τέκτονας Δίου πυρὸς

  κτείνω Κύκλωπας· καί με θητεύειν πατὴρ 5

  θνητῶι παρ΄ ἀνδρὶ τῶνδ΄ ἄποιν΄ ἠνάγκασεν.

  Ἐλθὼν δὲ γαῖαν τήνδ΄ ἐβουφόρβουν ξένωι

  καὶ τόνδ΄ ἔσωιζον οἶκον ἐς τόδ΄ ἡμέρας.

  Ὁσίου γὰρ ἀνδρὸς ὅσιος ὢν ἐτύγχανον 10

  παιδὸς Φέρητος͵ ὃν θανεῖν ἐρρυσάμην͵

  Μοίρας δολώσας· ἤινεσαν δέ μοι θεαὶ

  Ἄδμητον Ἅιδην τὸν παραυτίκ΄ ἐκφυγεῖν͵

  ἄλλον διαλλάξαντα τοῖς κάτω ν�
�κρόν.

  Πάντας δ΄ ἐλέγξας καὶ διεξελθὼν φίλους͵ 15

  [πατέρα γεραιάν θ΄ ἥ σφ΄ ἔτικτε μητέρα͵]

  οὐχ ηὗρε πλὴν γυναικὸς ὅστις ἤθελεν

  θανὼν πρὸ κείνου μηκέτ΄ εἰσορᾶν φάος·

  ἣν νῦν κατ΄ οἴκους ἐν χεροῖν βαστάζεται

  ψυχορραγοῦσαν· τῆιδε γάρ σφ΄ ἐν ἡμέραι 20

  θανεῖν πέπρωται καὶ μεταστῆναι βίου.

  Ἐγὼ δέ͵ μὴ μίασμά μ΄ ἐν δόμοις κίχηι͵

  λείπω μελάθρων τῶνδε φιλτάτην στέγην.

  Ἤδη δὲ τόνδε Θάνατον εἰσορῶ πέλας͵

  ἱερέα θανόντων͵ ὅς νιν εἰς Ἅιδου δόμους 25

  μέλλει κατάξειν· συμμέτρως δ΄ ἀφίκετο͵

  φρουρῶν τόδ΄ ἦμαρ ὧι θανεῖν αὐτὴν χρεών.

  ΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ

  Ἆ ἆ·

  τί σὺ πρὸς μελάθροις; τί σὺ τῆιδε πολεῖς͵

  Φοῖβ΄; ἀδικεῖς αὖ τιμὰς ἐνέρων 30

  ἀφοριζόμενος καὶ καταπαύων;

  οὐκ ἤρκεσέ σοι μόρον Ἀδμήτου

  διακωλῦσαι͵ Μοίρας δολίωι

  σφήλαντι τέχνηι; νῦν δ΄ ἐπὶ τῆιδ΄ αὖ

  χέρα τοξήρη φρουρεῖς ὁπλίσας͵ 35

  ἣ τόδ΄ ὑπέστη͵ πόσιν ἐκλύσασ΄

  αὐτὴ προθανεῖν Πελίου παῖς;

  ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

  Θάρσει· δίκην τοι καὶ λόγους κεδνοὺς ἔχω.

  ΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ

  Τί δῆτα τόξων ἔργον͵ εἰ δίκην ἔχεις;

  ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

  Σύνηθες αἰεὶ ταῦτα βαστάζειν ἐμοί. 40